May 8, 2026

After The Story | Episode 50

After the Story - Choices Like Rivers - Episode 50

This podcast discusses each chapter of Choices Like Rivers and each episode is posted directly after the book episode. This corresponds to Chapter 18 Section 1.

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This is a major shift for Sharon. Bill devised the install of the computers and training exactly when Sharon needed it most. The week away for training gave Sharon a week away from the environment that was filled with constant memories of Molly Sue and what she had lost.

We carry our memories with us wherever we go. In a case such as this where Sharon was removed from her environment and then submersed into a situation that required her full attention, it gave her a clean break to help her start to heal.

Learning a new system or new technology requires intense brain focus. That pulls us away from the rumination of memories. We could say this was like a mental fast for her. She had to devote so much brain power to learning this challenging new technology that she couldn’t spend her time constantly thinking about Molly Sue and then diving into despair.

For me writing is a creative endeavor since I write mostly fiction. However it pulls a lot from me and often I feel spent at the end of each day. Year before last (2024) I published four books. Two were fiction and two were non-fiction. Needless to say I felt truly drained by the end of the year.

I felt I needed a healing break, so I delved deep into watercolor painting. It also was creative, but in a different way. It calmed me and healed frazzled nerves in a unique way. Watching as the beautiful colors flowed and burst onto the paper was mesmerizing.

I was still writing in the beginning of 2025, but when I would begin to feel stress or pressure, I would just stop and paint. Then I put writing on pause completely for a while and just painted for nearly a year. It was wonderful. And then, the passion to write burst forth again in a new and fresh way.

If I were to give you one take-away from this section, it would be to do something different in the midst of your pain. Shift gears completely. When we wallow in our pain and suffering, as we all do, it doesn’t give our bodies, our minds, and our hearts room to heal.

Further, let that something new be something creative. Go to a workshop where you can learn a new craft and complete it in one session. I have a friend who owns an ARWorkshop and they are always having classes on learning one new craft after another. But, I know there are other type of workshops as well.

You will meet new people, learn new things, and you will laugh. In the midst of your pain, you will laugh. Laughter is one way that God chooses to heal us. In Proverbs 17:22 it says:

Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones.

Force yourself to go and do something that will get you out of the rut of your sorrow. It will be hard. You will have no desire to do so, but it is necessary. Prescribe it to yourself as you would a medicine, because it is a medicine that is pure and eternal.